[Sigia-l] Questions re Next Summit

[Karl Fast]

> We are evaluating holding the next IA Summit in either Cambridge,
> Massachusetts or Montreal, Canada.

As a Canadian, a few comments about having it in Montreal (I'm not
involved in the summit planning; just my thoughts).

First, travelling to Canada from the US is no more difficult than
Canadians coming to the US every year. There were a lot of Canadians
in Austin, along with many other international attendees.
Documentation shouldn't be an issue for most people, especially
those coming from the US.

Second, it seems like an excellent way of developing the
international aspects of IA without moving overseas.

Third, Montreal is a major city and easy to get to. It's probably
about as far as travelling from Seattle to Miami, or San Diego to
Boston. There should be direct flights from most major cities.

Lastly, the exchange rate can actually reduce costs, especially for
those coming from the States. The rate isn't as good as it used to
be, but still pretty good. If you went today, $100 US would be worth
about $133 CDN (last year it would have been worth as much as $150).


But I'm a Canuck so I'm admittedly just a wee bit biased.


--karl